1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to input devices for computer operating environments. The invention concerns, more particularly, an input device that incorporates a zoom apparatus for increasing or decreasing the size of an image rendered on a display screen. Concepts related to the input device and zoom apparatus have application to a variety of input devices, including a keyboard.
2. Description of Background Art
A variety of data entry techniques have been developed to enhance usability and to make computers more versatile throughout the evolution of the field of computer science. For example, a typical computer system, especially a computer system using graphical user interfaces for user interaction, may be optimized for accepting input from one or more discrete input devices. Thus, an individual may enter text with a keyboard, and control the position of a pointer image on a display screen with a pointing device, such as a mouse, having one or more buttons for activating selections associated with the location of the pointer. Some computing systems even include a pen-like stylus.
The viewable contents of a computer file, such as a text document, spreadsheet, digital photograph, Web page, or other image rendered on a conventional display screen, may possess a size exceeding the viewable boundaries of the display screen. In other words, the display screen may only render a portion of the viewable contents of the computer file. Similarly, the viewable contents of a computer file may be rendered at a resolution that is less than the resolution of the computer file, thereby limiting the degree to which an individual may view details of the computer file. To address this issue, many operating systems or other software applications permit individuals to selectively modify the relative size of the viewable contents of the computer file, as rendered on the display screen. That is, many conventional computer operating environments incorporate a zoom feature that resizes the viewable contents of the computer file that are rendered on the display screen.
As utilized in the present document, the term “zoom” is intended to denote a change in the scale (i.e., relative size) at which the viewable contents of the computer file are rendered on the display screen. Accordingly, the zoom feature of conventional computer operating environments permits an individual to selectively modify the relative size of the viewable contents of the computer file. For example, the individual may “zoom in” on the viewable contents of the computer file in order to increase the relative size of the rendered image. Given the size constraints of the display screen, zooming in may decrease the percentage of the viewable contents of the computer file that are rendered on the display screen. Similarly, the individual may “zoom out” on the viewable contents in order to decrease the relative size of the rendered image. Based upon the resolution constraints of the display screen, zooming out may decrease the resolution of the viewable contents of the computer file that are rendered on the display screen, thereby limiting detail in the rendered image.
One conventional manner of incorporating a zoom feature into a conventional computer operating environment involves the use of a pointing device, such as a mouse, to navigate through menus that are rendered on the display screen. In many circumstances, multiple movements of the pointing device and actuations of buttons for activating selections associated with zooming are required in order to utilize the zoom feature. Accordingly, the various steps necessary for utilizing conventional zoom features may be relatively inefficient.